Electronic devices integrated with microphones have been widely used to collect voice inputs from users and implement different voice-activated functions according to the voice inputs. For example, many state-of-the-art mobile devices include a voice assistant system (e.g., Siri and Google Assistant) that is configured to use voice inputs to initiate a phone call, conduct a restaurant search, start routing on a map, create calendar events, add a post to a social network, recognize a song and complete many other tasks. The mobile devices often include display screens that allow the users who provide the voice inputs to check the status of the tasks requested via the voice inputs. However, when an electronic device having a relatively simple structure and made at a low cost is applied to implement similar voice activated functions as the mobile devices, use of a display screen would significantly increase the cost of the electronic device. Thus, there is a need to use a simple and low-cost user interface to indicate a status of voice input processing in an electronic device that includes one or more microphones and functions as a voice interface.
In addition, the voice activated functions currently implemented in mobile devices are limited to Internet-based functions that involve remote servers (e.g., a search engine, a social network server or a voice assistant server). The results of the voice activated functions are displayed on or used to control the mobile devices themselves, and do not impact any other remote or local electronic devices accessible to the user. Given that voice inputs are convenient for the user, it is beneficial to allow the user to use voice inputs to control the other electronic devices accessible to the user in addition to requesting the Internet-based functions limited between the remote servers and the mobile devices.